


Those That Make Us

by darkestbliss



Category: Muse (Band)
Genre: Age Difference, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Angst, Bonding, Fluff, Knotting, M/M, Mating, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mentions of Death, Mentions of miscarriage, Mpreg, Omega Verse, Smut, Soul Bond, Soulmates, Teacher-Student Relationship, Violence, Weird Biology
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-29
Updated: 2015-10-28
Packaged: 2018-04-01 18:35:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4030351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkestbliss/pseuds/darkestbliss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dominic, an alpha, has just moved to Teignmouth to teach A-Level sociology. There, he meets a bright young student named Matthew.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The long halls of the school were completely foreign to Dr. Dominic Howard as he carried his notes and laptop in one hand and coffee mug in the other, making his way to the classroom that was marked on the sheet of paper the department director had hastily given to him not 20 minutes earlier.

After two BSc’s, an MSc, and a PhD, Dom probably belonged in a high end university like Cambridge doing scholarly research, but instead, he found himself volunteering to teach A-Level sociology at a small school in Teignmouth.

It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It was the first opportunity he had to get out of the village he’d been living in for the past four years with his now ex-husband, so he took it. When his mate had called him up and mentioned an opening at the school, he took it without hesitation. Anything to get him away from the manipulative and abusive beta he’d once been in love with. The move was a blessing, and the flat he managed to acquire had a nice view of the pier and hills that jutted out into the English Channel, the perfect image to gaze at as he worked on his independent research.

Sighing as he reached the classroom, Dom set his things down and plugged his laptop in, preparing his lectures for the day. The environment was quite different from the universities he occasionally guest-lectured in. The students that shuffled in all wore neutral uniforms, their individualities expressed through things like their hair and shoes. It reminded Dom too much of his college days, of such a lack of freedom he could not bear it. Soon, he thought to himself, these kids would be off doing their own thing, not stuck in this grey classroom being forced to work when they’d all much rather be out doing nothing at all. Although he was 29, Dom was all too familiar with it all.

Checking the clock and nodding to himself, Dom started his lecture right away, never one to waste time on silly introductions. These students had huge exams at the end of the year, and hearing all about their teacher’s silly life had nothing to do with those exams.

This was how the entire day went. Groups of teenagers shuffled in and out of his classroom, bags full of heavy textbooks and spiral notebooks. As the last class of the day walked out, handing their first assignments to him at the door, one student caught Dom’s eye. He was a small beta boy, short and _way_ too thin to be healthy.

“Have a good day, Sir,” the boy said politely, nodding and handing him his assignment.

“You too...”

“Matthew,” said the boy. “Matthew Bellamy.”

“You too, Matthew,” replied Dom, giving his student a smile.

And then he was left alone again, in his empty classroom, from which he would go to his empty car to his empty flat and enjoy his boring, empty life.

~

Cracking his neck, Dom poured himself his third glass of wine of the night, continuing to type away on his laptop. It was a Saturday, his fifth in Teignmouth. The past month at the school had gone by quickly and quietly, and Dom was rather enjoying his life there. Now, he had a tabby cat named Hendrix to keep him company, so he felt a bit less empty.

The work was enjoyable as well. All his students were hard-workers; of course they were teenagers, and acted so at any opportunity given, but overall, he was very lucky. He had especially taken a liking to Matthew Bellamy, or Matt, as he quickly had learned. The student was one of the brightest he’d ever met, already expressing interest in material far beyond the level required for the A-Level exams. Dom found no problem with supplying the boy with as many articles and readings as he could find: anything to keep the young boy interested in the social sciences.

As Dom continued writing his newest work, an email notification came up. It was from Matt.

“Hi Dr. Howard,” it read. “I was reading the article you gave me on secondary gender relationships in the professional workplace and was really interested. Are there any other readings you’d suggest?”

Dom smiled, quickly responding with a link to one of his own writings. “Hope you enjoy,” he added to the email, clicking send before going back to his document where he was currently writing about the same exact topic.

As he worked that night with Hendrix at his side, he realized just how important his work was to him. Being an alpha in the social sciences was rare, especially a male alpha. It was seen more as a beta’s subject, an objective science that could be looked at through lenses that weren’t fogged by lust and the need to bed an omega at any given chance.

Dom wasn’t like that though. Growing up in a broken home with omega twin siblings, he was incredibly controlled in his manner. His mum used to joke about him really being a beta on the inside, never seeming to be affected when omegas around him were nearing their heats. It was part of the reason he did so much volunteering at the omega shelters. He had the compassion and intelligence to understand their situations and the control to be around them as they entered their heats. The discrimination, oppression, and past genocide of omegas was what he wrote his entire thesis on, one of the first to ever do so. He cared so much about it. He didn’t want one more person to experience the prejudice his little brother and sister had from their father the first time they went into heat. He couldn’t stand watching his siblings scream and cry as their father pulled them away from the comforting arms of their omega mother, just to lock them in separate rooms with nothing but their own bodies to get them through their first heat.

Finishing his third glass of wine, Dom shut his laptop. Just thinking about growing up in his household got him riled up. Luckily, his brother and sister were safe now, his brother bonded and expecting, and his sister dating a wonderful beta. His mum was divorced from the despicable human being that he refused to call his father, and Dom could finally sleep knowing his family was all safe.

~

As Dom walked into the teacher’s lounge one day, his nose crinkled at the reeking smell of recently-bonded alpha. Preparing himself, he popped his earbuds in as he sat down at a table in the corner to eat his lunch, trying to ignore the snide, sexist remarks his alpha colleagues were making about their mates.

He was halfway through his salad when an especially loud comment came from the recently-bonded alpha, a maths teacher named Julia.

“She put up such a fight when I first made the bite. It’s like she didn’t want me to do it or something. The fuck is with omegas these days and thinking it’s okay to not want to be bonded?”

Dom was furious, quickly standing up, his chair falling in the process. He ripped his earbuds out and turned to the group of alphas. “Maybe because they’re human beings and they’re sick of the institutionalized sexism that surrounds their secondary gender?!”

One of the alphas rolled his eyes, mumbling “Here we go again” as Dom approached them.

“It’s alphas like you that are the reason these people almost went extinct. Alphas that think it’s okay to use violence toward a person you should _love_ and _cherish_.”

“People?” exclaimed Julia. “They’re just omegas. Good for breeding and that’s it. You don’t see omegas making any proper contribution to the world, do you?”

Dom could do nothing but roll his eyes, astounded by how ignorant people were. “Maybe that’s because they have no way of achieving social mobility because of stupid, irrational rules that alphas create. I can guarantee you, this school would be filled with omegas if they were allowed to even _enroll_ in the first place.”

“Okay, sure mate,” said Frank, another maths teacher. “You keep telling yourself that.” And then the group turned themselves away from Dom, completely cutting him off.

Filled to the brim with anger, Dom took his lunch elsewhere, out to the courtyard where he could eat in peace and quiet. He watched as a few pigeons pecked at breadcrumbs on the ground, just minding their own business. Dom wondered why humans couldn’t be that way, but of course, humans were humans, conflict was unavoidable.

Picking up his things and tossing a few scraps in the rubbish bin, the teacher made his way back to his classroom, where he waited for his next class to begin.

“Dr. Howard?” came a voice after a quiet knock on the door.

Dom looked up, waving Matt Bellamy in. “Hey Matt, what can I do for you?”

The boy walked in, setting his bag down on one of the tables. “Can I work in here for the remainder of the day? I’m out early and wanted a quiet place to get things done. Home doesn’t really offer that kind of environment.”

“Of course! I have a couple more classes to teach, so as long as that doesn’t bother you, feel free to take a seat at one of the back tables.”

Matt smiled, nodded, and sat down, immediately pulling out an almost full spiral notebook. Dom watched him for a few moments before heading back and finishing up the final touches for his lessons.

This was how the next couple of months went. Matt would come in and quietly work on his own things while Dom taught, and at the end of the day, they would have lengthy discussions about whatever it was Matt was working on before parting ways to go home.

Dom enjoyed it all very much. Although he knew he was Matt’s teacher and nothing more, he thought of Matt as his one true friend in Teignmouth. The boy was bright and eager to learn, and made Dom’s afternoons incredibly pleasant.

~

“So, have you started looking at unis?” Dom asked one day in early December, the last day before the holiday started.

“Yeah,” said Matt, nodding. “Bath is top of the list right now, seeing as Cambridge is probably impossible. We’ll see if I get the marks. If all else fails and my dad doesn’t want me to go far, I’ll probably stick with Exeter.”

Dom smiled, sitting down next to the boy. “I think you should go for Cambridge,” he said.

Matt looked shocked. “There’s no way.”

“I think it’s very likely they’d want you for their program. It’s elite and challenging. I am positive you’d fit in perfectly there. That’s where I went for undergraduate.”

“Yes, but, you’re a genius in the sociology world.”

“The idea of ‘genius’ is a social construction,” replied Dom with a wink. “Trust me, you would get an offer. Definitely conditional, maybe even unconditional if you ask a certain someone for a reference.”

“I don’t think so,” said Matt.

Dom shrugged, standing up and lightly touching Matt’s back. “You never know until you try.” With that, he left his student to finish his studies and went back to his desk to organize his things. “I’m going to go grab a few things from the library,” he said. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to lock up, you okay here?”

“Yeah,” said Matt. “Just finishing up this proposal. Have a nice Christmas, Sir.”

“You too, Matt. I’ll see you in the New Year, cheers.”

It took Dom about ten minutes to get the things he needed in the library. The school was almost completely empty, with just a few stray staff members gathering up the things they needed for the long holiday. The social science department was completely deserted as Dom walked through on the way back to his classroom. As he walked in, shutting the door behind him, he felt as if something was off.

“Matt?” he called, looking around. The boy’s bag was still set on one of the tall tables, but he was no where to be seen. Dom walked around, coming to a sudden halt when he rounded the front of the table. The stool was knocked over and Matt was on the ground, trembling. “Holy shit,” Dom whispered, rushing forward and immediately going through his brain, trying to remember what the hell to do when someone was having a seizure. As he got closer, a wave of something sweet flew to his nose. He froze, the realization suddenly hitting him; Matthew was an omega in heat.


	2. Chapter 2

Panic was surging through Dom’s veins as he knelt down next to his student, his bloody _omega_ student. Tears were streaming down Matt’s red cheeks as he turned to look at Dom, his eyes pleading.

Ignoring the scent that was just pouring off of Matt, Dom steadied himself, breathing through his mouth. The scent hit his tongue, immediately making his vision go blurry. He shook his head, concentrating. Matt, he thought. Make sure Matt is okay.

“Okay, Matt,” he said shakily as he attempted to keep calm. “Did you know you’re an omega?”

“No,” he cried, his voice strained. “Please, Sir. It hurts.”

Dom shut his eyes for a few seconds, trying to control his body. He could physically feel his own blood rushing down, his skin hot and clammy after just a minute or so of being around the in-heat omega. It was something his body had ever experienced.

“Alright, this is what we’re going to do. I’m going to call your family-”

“NO!” Matt screamed. “No, you can’t, they can’t know,” he choked out. “Dad will kill me. He’ll kill me.” Just then, Matt’s body convulsed and he let out a loud cry. Dom tried to ignore the surge of something that was going through him; he told himself it was the panic and adrenaline of the situation.

“Matt,” he said, forcing himself to breathe steadily. “I need to get you to a safe location. Where can I take you?”

“I don’t know,” the omega sobbed. “Just... Make it stop hurting. It hurts.”

“You know I can’t do that.”

“You can. You’re an alpha. Please,” Matt pleaded.

Dom shook his head, stepping up and moving away from his student. He paced the back of the room, far enough away that Matt’s scent wasn’t repeatedly assaulting his senses. He tried to ignore the soft whimpers and moans coming from the desk as he thought of what to do, his one idea seeming like an absolute disaster waiting to happen. He couldn’t leave Matt at the school though, that was obvious. It was his first heat, meaning it could easily last an entire week, and the alpha janitors would be coming into the school repeatedly throughout the holiday. By Matt’s previous statement, it was clear his home environment was not the place where an omega could be safe. The nearest omega clinic was in Bristol, more than an hour and a half’s drive away. Matt was quiet, and from Dom’s observations, he knew he didn’t have many—if any—friends. Dom realized there was only one solution.

**  
  
**

“Okay,” said Dom, sort of to himself but also to Matt. “Okay. You’re going to come to my flat. There’s a spare bedroom downstairs where you’ll be safe for now. I’ll get you some water and some protein and then I’m going to call the omega clinic in Bristol, and they will be able to take care of you, okay?”

Matt nodded. “Will you be okay?” he whispered, looking straight into Dom’s eyes.

“Yes,” he replied too quickly.

Dom hated lying.

~

“What do you bloody mean the transport vehicles are down?” Dom roared into his mobile from the kitchen of his flat. He pounded his head against the wall as the man on the other end of the line gave him some pathetic excuse or another. “You don’t fucking understand, I have a 17 year old omega here, this is his first heat, and he needs help.” He ended the call a few moments later with a loud “Fuck!” then suddenly looked up as he smelled rather than saw Matt approaching. “Don’t come close, Matt. You can’t do that.”

The omega seemed so small and miserable. His entire body dripped with sweat, so much that Dom couldn’t distinguish what was sweat and what was slick on his trousers. “Please, Sir. You told me you can handle omegas in heat. Why can’t you help me?”

“I don’t _know_ ,” Dom said angrily. He was angry at himself, angry that every moment he even thought of rushing toward Matt ,his body betrayed him. “I don’t understand why my body is doing this,” he said, breathing heavily and motioning to his crotch where he’d been hardening for the past hour. It was painful, and he just wanted Matt gone and safe so he could deal with it. “I’m not usually like this, just... Please, lock yourself in the room. I want you safe.”

Matt shook his head, instead walking forward.  
  
“Matthew,” Dom warned.

“Please,” came the pleading reply.

“Matthew I can’t do this. I don’t know what this is but I can’t do it. Please go back downstairs until I can figure out a way to get you to the clinic.”

Tears were in Matt’s eyes, but luckily, he obeyed, moving to go back downstairs. As soon as he was gone, Dom’s body was up and to the place the omega had just been standing. He was on the floor, burying his nose into the place where Matt’s slick and sweat had dripped onto the linoleum floor.

“Fuck,” he grunted, his cock hard and pulsing. He could smell Matt from downstairs; every time he took a breath his vision blurred and his ears rang out. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think straight. The thoughts going through his mind made him sick. Thoughts of his student beneath him, his student with Dom’s bites on his neck, his student taking Dom’s knot and clenching down. “Fuck!”

This couldn’t be happening to Dom. This never happened to Dom. He was one of the top advocates for omega rights in the world, and here he was completely taken apart by an omega, an underage omega who also happened to be his student.

This is not okay, he kept thinking to himself. One tiny part of him was fighting against all other parts of his anatomy, screaming fighting words to him. It was a tiny grip on reality that he was slowly losing to his body, his brain versus his biology.

He found himself outside of the door leading to the bedroom. Dom couldn’t hear anything except for his own heartbeat, couldn’t feel anything except for biology telling him to mate.

“Matt,” he called, his voice strained. “You okay?”

The reply came a few long seconds later. “No.”

“Okay, Matt. I’m... God, fuck, I’m coming in.”

Saying goodbye to his career and his sanity and all of his credentials, Dom opened up the door. Matt was spread out on the bed, facing Dom, his clothes abandoned on the floor. Slick covered his legs and Dom could just barely see between them where Matt’s fingers were pumping in and out of himself.

“Fuck,” Dom whispered. “Oh, fuck.” He advanced forward, collapsing onto the bed and immediately finding Matt’s neck and rubbing his nose into it.

“Oh, Sir,” Matt whimpered.

“Dom. Call me Dom, now.” Dom could feel Matt immediately relax beneath his weight.

“Please, Dom.”

“I know, I’m here. I’m here now.” He gingerly pressed a kiss to Matt’s collarbone, already thrusting toward him, his cock straining against his suddenly way too tight trousers. “What do you want me to do? What can I do to make it better?”

“Just... Touch me,” Matt said hoarsely.

“Okay,” whispered Dom. He looked down at the omega’s body, shimmering with sweat. His small cock was swollen and leaking precome, and Dom knew it would take just a few soft touches before Matt hit orgasm.

Sure enough, the second Dom touched him, just barely wrapping his hand around his cock, Matt was screaming and arching off the bed, three streams of come painting his quivering belly.

“Oh my God,” Matt whispered shakily.

  
“It’s okay, you’re okay,” said Dom, kissing him softly while still rocking his own hips. He kept kissing Matt, time running by as he nipped and licked any part of his mouth he could get his lips on. By the time he was about to orgasm, Matt was already hard again.

“Fuck Dom!” Matt shouted, his nails digging into the alpha’s back. “Please, please, please.”  
  
“What?” Dom whispered, nipping at Matt’s throat.

“Please just do it. Please.”

The last remaining part of Dom’s control vanished, his mouth moving to make the word “Okay” as his hands went to finally unzip his trousers. He kept his eyes locked on Matt, watching as he pumped his small cock. “Use some of your slick and start fingering yourself again,” commanded Dom as he kicked his trousers to the floor and moved to kiss Matt, humping into the young boy’s small thigh. Matt did as he was told until Dom was undressed and ready to take over. The boy was so bloody _wet_ , his hole absolutely dripping for him. It only took a few brief minutes to get him stretched appropriately.

Finally sinking into Matt, Dom threw his head back, trying to bite down on his tongue to keep from yelling out. But he had no grip on reality anymore, his body overtaking his brain.

Dom focused on Matt’s eyes as he thrusted in and out, the way they seemed to search Dom’s face for something to look at before locking with Dom’s own eyes. Something was between them in their line of sight, something invisible but _there_. “Fuck, Matt,” Dom grunted as Matt came between them, his cock trapped between their moving bodies.

“I’m sorry,” Matt cried, his voice cracking as he clenched down.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Dom panted, sucking on Matt’s lower lip. “You’re okay.” His hips kept thrusting of their accord, Matt whimpering each time Dom slid all the way in. “Am I hurting you?”

Matt shook his head, his brown hair standing on end from the sweat that had gathered on his forehead. “God no. Just... Please don’t stop.”

Dom nodded, continuing his thrusts. The things he felt for this boy were so indescribable, it was like someone had poisoned his veins. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered at every opportunity. And oh how right he was about that statement. Matthew was the most beautiful thing Dom had ever laid eyes on, the way his skin glistened and the way his body opened up for Dom and the way he seemed to be screaming Dom’s name at every second. Matthew was infectious.

Suddenly feeling his cock grow tight— similar to but not quite like an orgasm—reality slammed into Dom and he pulled back. “I have to stop, Matt. Oh God I need to pull out.”

Matt screamed and clenched down on Dom’s cock. Dom tried to pull out but was stopped by Matt’s fingernails digging into his back.

“Matt, you have to let me pull out,” pleaded Dom. “I’m about to knot.”

“I don’t care.”

“Please,” said Dom, still thrusting as his knot grew bigger. “Please.” He wasn’t sure why he was pleading or what he was pleading for. He _needed_ to pull out but that was the last thing his body had planned. Slamming into Matt’s body one, two, three more times, his knot grew and grew until he couldn’t pull out anymore. With Matt’s screams echoing in his ear and his orgasm teetering on edge, Dom reached up, gripping Matt’s hand tight and squeezing.

All thoughts were abandoned as they rocked on the bed, Matt continuously coming between them, his slick, sweat, and come all over their bodies and the blankets.

“Matt,” Dom grunted into the young omega’s ear. “Oh fuck, Matt, fuck.”

Dom lost control, his orgasm ricocheting through his body like a bullet. He couldn’t see or hear anything except for the omega beneath him— _his_ omega—as he bit down, drawing small drops of blood from the pale skin between his teeth.  

It was minutes later when Dom’s hips came to a still. His body collapsed on top of Matt, his knot still locked inside. He looked down at Matt, tears dotting his cheeks as his eyes came to rest on the bond mark that was stood out against Matt’s pale white skin.

“Are you okay?” he whispered, feeling completely in control of his body for the first time in what seemed like hours as Matt’s heat subsided for a few minutes. Accompanying the gut-wrenching feeling of guilt in the pit of his stomach was also the feeling of pure bliss and love.

“I’m fine, I’m okay,” said Matt.

“Matt,” said Dom. “I-”

“I’m scared,” Matt interrupted.

Dom’s heart nearly broke. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “I should’ve stopped, I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you like that, I can’t believe I let this happen and-”

“No,” said Matt. “That’s... Not what I meant.”

Dom shook his head. “We just bonded, Matt. Do you understand that?”

“Yes.”

“What’s scaring you, then?”

“I don’t know. I’m just so scared.”

A tear slipped out of Matt’s eye and he was quick to kiss it away. “I’m scared too. But rest now, okay?”

Matt nodded, shutting his eyes and letting out a big long breath. Matt’s body trembled a few times around Dom’s knot before finally stilling. He automatically curled into Dom’s chest, his long eyelashes tickling the sparse hair the blonde had there. Dom closed his eyes too, the steady sound of Matt’s breathing luring him to sleep.

~

The next five days were a blur of emotion and lust. Time after time, Dom would lose himself to something unknown, the urge to knot and mate trumping all. The following Wednesday morning, Dom woke up after his first full night’s sleep in days. Matt was stirring as well, for once not coated in a thin layer of sweat.

When his blue eyes blinked open, Dom felt a swell of something in his chest. He loved this boy. This underage, intelligent, young, _amazing_ boy. And he was bonded to this boy.

**  
  
**


	3. Chapter 3

The morning was silent save for the ever-present pattering of British rain against the roof and window. Dom felt himself drift back to sleep multiple times, always in Matthew’s warm embrace. When they both fully awoke, Dom had to finally face reality.

“I’ll be right back,” he said softly, kissing Matt’s cheek. He stretched out of bed, grabbing his briefs and tugging them on. As he entered the lounge, he sat on the sofa with his mobile in hand, thinking to himself of what the Hell to do first. He dialed a number and waited.

“Bristol Omega Clinic, how may we help you?”

“Hi, umm...” Dom scratched at his head, unsure how to go about this. “I need to make an appointment for myself and my... Erm... Bondmate.”

“Okay,” said the woman on the line, her voice hesitant. “Can you give me some information for your reasoning to make an appointment?”

“It’s... Really complicated,” replied Dom, wincing at himself.

“All right,” the woman said. “Well, we have drop in hours Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 17:00. At this moment the clinic is not busy at all, so if you and your bondmate need to see a professional soon, now is the time.”

“Great, thanks,” Dom said quickly, hanging up before the woman could say anything else. He sighed and groaned, closing his eyes and rubbing at his temples for a moment.

He went back into the bedroom. Matt was sitting up, the duvet and sheets pooled around his lap. His chest and neck were littered with love bites, but the healing bond mark that was nestled on Matt’s left side between his collar bone and neck was what he was drawn to most.

“Hey,” Dom said quietly, moving back into bed.

Matt smiled up at him, shy. “Hi.”

“You doing okay?”

“Yeah. I’m good.”

“Good,” said Dom, looking down for a moment. “Look, Matt...”

“I’m not breaking the bond!” Matt interrupted quickly, a look of fear coming across his face.

“No no,” Dom said, quickly moving forward to hold the scared omega. “I wasn’t going to say that. I promise. I would never do that to you.”

“Okay,” whispered Matt, leaning his head against Dom’s bare chest

Dom pressed gentle kisses to his head for a few minutes, soothing his mate before continuing. “What I was going to say is... We need to get you to that clinic in Bristol. Just to make sure everything is okay.” Dom didn’t have to say what he meant by that; Matt understood. “I need to have some sort of understanding of what happened, for your sake. And then after that, we need to figure out what we’re going to do with everything.” The everything was implied. Again, Matt understood.

“Are you going to lose your job because of me?” Matt asked.

Dom shook his head, taking Matt’s hand in his and squeezing it gently. “Not because of you, but because of _me_.”

The omega seemed upset by Dom’s response, casting his eyes downward and sighing heavily. “Why did this happen? I could’ve gone to Cambridge and now I’m just... Nothing.” Tears were falling and hitting the sheets.

“You’re not _nothing_ , Matt. I won’t let you or anyone else reduce you to that. I’m going to find a way, okay? We’re going to make this work. Now let’s get dressed and get some food and make our way to Bristol.”

~

The drive to Bristol was tense and raw. Dom found that, through their bond, he could physically feel the emotions that Matt was feeling. Matt’s fear was a bruise on his heart, Matt’s anxiety was a prickling on his skin, but most of all, Matt’s love was a warmth running through his limbs. It was so odd, after being with this boy for only a week, the things he felt for him were nothing short of celestial.

Inside, the clinic was very empty, just as the woman had stated to Dom earlier. It seemed everyone was out doing Christmas shopping and spending time with their families. Dom was speaking with a receptionist with Matt at his side when a doctor came out, her eyes very focused.

“Right this way, please,” the omega doctor said, very rushed and urgent.

“Right, okay,” said Dom. He gestured toward the receptionist he’d just been speaking with. “Shouldn’t we-”

“That won’t be necessary. Quickly, now,” said the doctor as she ushered Matt and Dom down a corridor and into a room. She quickly shut the door.

“Is there a problem?” Matt asked, looking around nervously. Dom squeezed his hand supportively, immediately feeling Matt’s positive response when he did so.

“I’m sorry to worry you both,” said the doctor. “I will explain everything in a moment. My name is Doctor Sherrill.”

“I’m Dominic Howard,” said Dom. He gestured toward Matt. “And this is my bondmate, Matthew.” The word _bondmate_ still felt so foreign on his tongue.

Doctor Sherrill nodded, seeming to know exactly who Dom was. She took down a few notes before looking up at the couple who were standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. “Matthew, go ahead and take a seat on the table. Dominic, you may sit in that chair there.” The two did as they were told. Dom hated having to lose contact from Matt, so he kept his eyes locked on the omega’s. “The reason I rushed you both in here so quickly is because the moment you walked in the door, I could sense the presence of your bond.”

Matt and Dom exchanged a curious glance. “And is that normal?” asked Matt.

“No,” said Doctor Sherrill, shaking her head. “It doesn’t happen. Ever. I mean, alphas and omegas can sense a bond when they’re standing close to a bonded pair, but what I felt was... Different. I was on the other side of the clinic when you two came in.”

“What happened with us?” asked Dom, a serious tone in his voice. “I’ve always been able to control myself around omegas. I work in clinics like this all the time. But when I sensed Matt, I felt like I was in another body.”

“And I didn’t even know I was an omega,” Matt chimed in. “Why didn’t I present when I was 12 like everyone else?!”

Doctor Sherrill nodded, seeming to piece things together in her mind. She mumbled a few words under her breath as she moved to power up the computer that was sat to her left. She typed away for a few long minutes. In the meantime, Dom had moved his chair closer to Matt to be able to physically touch him, although he could feel him through their bond regardless.

“Can you give me a rundown of everything that happened?”

“Sure,” said Dom. “Matt was just in my classroom like any other day. I left to get something—can’t even remember what it was now—and when I came back, he was on the floor, in heat and-”

“Did you touch him before you left?” the doctor asked.

Dom furrowed his brow, trying to remember. He looked to Matt for help.

“He did,” said Matt. “He touched me on my back. That was the last thing I fully remember. He left and then I just felt completely helpless and in pain.”

Doctor Sherrill nodded, continuing to type. “And tell me about the heat and bonding experience.”

Matt blushed and shied away, but Dom continued to talk with the doctor. “It was... Unreal. Not at all like I’ve heard about from other bonded alphas, the non-abusive ones, I mean. It was like all the matter in my brain was taken away and replaced with something else, completely primal and raw and otherworldly.”

“And when you knotted, how long did you stay locked post-bond?”

“We fell asleep like that,” said Dom softly. “And even when we woke up together a few hours later, when Matt was, erm, ready to go again, we were still knotted.”

“Okay,” Doctor Sherrill said, seeming satisfied with that last bit of information. She looked up at the pair, shaking her head in amazement and shock. “I can’t believe this has happened. It’s so rare, _impossible_ , even.”

“What happened?” Matt asked in a whisper. His hand was gripping Dom’s tightly, like he was holding on for dear life.

“Have you ever heard of an alpha rut?”

Dom scrunched up his face. “Erm, no,” he stated plainly. He’d never heard the word before.

“Right. Well,” said Doctor Sherrill, taking a deep breath. “An alpha rut is sort of an accompaniment to a heat. When an alpha goes into a rut, they have what is usually described as an ‘out-of-body experience’, exactly what you said, Dominic. During a rut, heat, and bonding, an alpha’s knot can sustain for up to five hours post-bond, much longer than the typical 20 minutes.”

“So why did this happen to Dom?” asked Matt. “Is he some sort of super alpha? He’s usually so controlled.”

“Here’s the thing,” said the doctor. “An alpha will only go into a rut one time in their life, and that is with the first heat of their soulmate.”

Realization dawned upon Dominic. “You don’t mean...?”

Doctor Sherrill nodded in confirmation. “You two have a soulbond. Matthew, that’s probably why your heats were suppressed for five years. Your first heat only happened because it was triggered by the touch of your alpha entering rut.”

“So what you’re saying is, Matt and I are soulmates?”

The look on Doctor Sherrill’s face was all he needed to know. Sitting back with a loud gasp, Dom turned to look into his omega’s eyes. They swirled with blue, and Dom could read every single emotion that was locked inside of them.

Dom knew of soulmates. He’d read about them briefly while researching for his thesis. They were so rare, it was contemplated that they didn’t even exist, the only evidence being various scriptures and journals from hundreds of years ago, before most of the world’s omegas were murdered in genocide. In the academic world, they were thought of as nothing but folktales, stories to trigger the imaginations of young children who also believed in dragons and ogres and giants.

“So what next?” asked Matt, pulling Dom from his thoughts.

Doctor Sherrill looked at the two of them. “I’m really not sure. I need to contact a couple of colleagues. The thing is, Dominic, there are ancient laws about soulbonds, laws that haven’t been touched in centuries. There’s a possibility these still stand, which means, ultimately, your bond goes above any law there is.”

“So Dom wouldn’t lose his job?” asked Matt excitedly, looking at Dom with happy tears in his eyes.

“We’ll have to see. I need to call these people, they’ve dedicated their whole lives to studying alpha and omega history and will know a lot more about this than me. For now though, Matthew, I’m going to have to give you an examination, just as I would any other omega after they’ve had their first heat or bonded.”

Dom and Matt both nodded, looking at the doctor expectantly.

“Dominic, do you mind giving us some privacy?”

Dom immediately felt a surge of fear go through their bond, but he had to follow the doctor’s orders. He went out and sat in a lone chair in the corridor, his leg shaking anxiously. So many things were running through his mind, nothing having to do with _his_ life but everything having to with _their_ life. He knew exactly what sort of questions Matt was being asked right now, what sort of tests and examinations he was going through. If he couldn’t have felt it through the bond, he would’ve known anyway after studying it for almost a decade.

There was no denying the unmistakeable feeling Dom got just a few minutes before the door opened up and Matt walked out, shaking with tears running down his cheeks. Dom rushed forward, pulling him into his arms and placing gentle, reassuring kisses to his forehead and lips as Doctor Sherrill waited patiently to take them to another room.

“Please tell me what you want,” Dom whispered quietly as soon as they were in the new room, Matt on the table and Dom next to him, as close as they physically could be.

“I want this,” said Matt, nodding.

Dom’s heart swelled and he kissed his mate again and again, interrupted only by a young beta man coming in and smiling to them both. “Are you boys ready to meet your baby?”

 


	4. Chapter 4

The room was dark, and Dom was beyond impatient as the beta was explaining to them the ultrasound process.

“This is mostly to make sure everything looks good, since you didn’t have the standard examination at 12 years like most omegas. We’ll take a look at everything to make sure you’re healthy, and if we’re lucky, we may even see a tiny little bundle, although it’s only been about a week, so don’t get too excited.”

Matt squeezed Dom’s hand at that, the excitement and anxiety seeming to pour off the omega. They had a lot of things to discuss, huge things Dom never thought he would experience, but for now, he was going to enjoy the moment with his mate whom he loved so much already.

The couple watched with anticipation as the beta gave everything a check, informing the two of them that everything was perfectly normal and healthy for an omega after their first heat.

“Now, let’s see if we can find your baby,” he said, moving the ultrasound wand around a bit more. “Ah! There we are.” He pointed to a teeny tiny dot that Dom could just barely see. Still, the small spot brought tears to his eyes, because that small spot was half him and half Matt, and one day, that small spot would be alive and in his and his omega’s arms.

“Fuck,” Dom whispered beneath his breath, everything hitting him at once. He had a family now. He was jobless, mated with a boy over ten years younger than him, and had to provide for that mate and their baby. He had no idea where to even start.

As they made their way back to Teignmouth that evening, Dom ran over everything in his head as Matt slept on the passenger side; the omega must’ve been exhausted after such a week. Dom thought about his (now lack of a) job, his research, his entire life and how he was about to give it all away for Matt. And he wouldn’t have it any other way. They were soulmates, and now everything Dom would do he would do for Matt and their baby.

The alpha looked over fondly at his mate. Matt’s eyelashes fluttered against his cheekbones, black and white pictures of his first ultrasound clutched protectively in his hand. It would all be okay, Dom reminded himself. Everything would be okay.

~

“I want to move away from Teignmouth.”

Dom’s spoon clattered to the floor, Matt’s announcement being the last thing he’d think the omega would say first thing the next morning. “Excuse me?”

“I mean, you said you would lose your job. I can’t finish school or take my exams, so what’s stopping us?”

Dom was aghast at the abrupt suggestion. “Um... The fact that we’ve been bonded for only a week and have no idea what we’re going to do with our lives now that they’ve been completely switched around?”

Matt didn’t seem to like that answer, a wave of sadness washing over his features. His head lowered as he quietly whispered “Okay” and walked back toward the bedroom.

Immediately feeling Matt’s emotions shift for the worse, Dom stood up to follow him into the bedroom where Matt was gathering some of his clothing. “Matt,” Dom said quietly, watching his mate sadly. He didn’t respond to him. “Matt, what are you doing?”

The omega looked at him, tears beginning to spill down his pale cheeks. “I don’t know,” he sobbed, falling to his knees. “I don’t know what I’m doing at all. I should just... Go.”

“No no no,” Dom said, rushing toward him as panic surged through his body. He pulled his omega close, pressing gentle kisses to his neck just below his ear and hairline. “Please don’t go,” he whispered, tears of his own beginning to fall.

“I’ve ruined your life,” Matt sobbed. “Nothing is going to be the same. I’m going to be stuck doing nothing in bloody Teignmouth for the rest of my life. I’m nothing.”

“Hey,” Dom whispered, trying to soothe him. “That’s not true, love. Not true at all. You are loved by so many. Me, your family-”

“What family?!” Matt shouted, and it was then that it hit Dom that he knew so little about Matthew and his life.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean... Ah fuck.” Matt had started sobbing again, and Dom was at a loss as to what to do or say. He took a deep breath, the only noise in the room being Matt’s sniffles. Focusing his thoughts, he tried again. “Matt, I don’t know the conditions of what your home life was like. I would love for you to tell me, but I also understand if you don’t want to. What you need to know though is that you do have a family, okay? You have me for now, and in nine months we’ll have a baby. I love you so fucking much and I know they will too.”

Matt was still for a few moments before nodding, a few tears still trickling down his cheeks. Dom gave him a soft smile, and things seemed to smooth out. He held Matt in his arms, continuing to kiss him and remind him constantly that he was loved. It wasn’t until later that evening that the topic was approached again.

“My dad killed my papa when he miscarried my little sister,” said Matt abruptly.

“Oh Jesus Christ,” Dom swore as his eyes locked with Matt’s. The alpha could tell Matt was trying to keep his emotions at bay, but the way his lip was quivering and his eyelashes began to darken gave everything away.

“He just... Kept hitting and beating him. He said omegas were useless if they couldn’t carry pups. I was only five but I still remember. And ever since then I always feared I would present as an omega.” He looked up at Dom, the tears finally beginning to spill over. “I can’t go back there,” he whispered brokenly. “He might kill me.”

“Fuck,” Dom said beneath his breath as he realized why Matt so desperately wanted to get away from Teignmouth. And he suddenly wanted to do the same. “Do you have any other siblings?” he asked quietly.

Matt nodded. “Just an older brother, Paul. He’s an alpha though.”

  
“Okay,” Dom said, nodding. His mind was running at a hundred miles a minute, trying to sort things out and figure a way for them—especially Matt—to move past this town. “Are you on good terms with your brother?”  
  


“Yes.”

“Okay. Fuck,” Dom swore again. “Christ, this makes me so uncomfortable, but I mean, _legally_ , I own you now.” He groaned just saying the words aloud. It was a hateful statement, the most disgusting thing he could’ve ever said. But at that moment, it was a way out. “And because of that, we can leave and your dad never has to know, yeah?”

“Yes.”

Dom shook his head, mumbling to himself and watching Matt carefully. The boy looked like he trusted Dom with his life and more. He couldn’t believe this; so shortly after moving to this new place, he was about to pick up again with his bondmate and unborn child to protect them both. Nothing else had ever made more sense to him.

“I’m going to make a phone call,” he said to Matt, kissing his forehead and then his bondmark, cherishing the sense of calm that briefly washed over him by doing so. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Matt whispered back.

~

Things happened quick. Since Matthew’s secondary gender was officially changed at the omega clinic in Bristol the day previous, an email from his school had already come, confirming that he was no longer enrolled. Before people could become suspicious and something could potentially be put onto his permanent record, Dom called the school and put in his resignation with no explanation besides the words ‘family’ and ‘emergency’.

The next morning, as snow began to fall and families trudged their way to the city center to meet Saint Nicholas, Dom found himself taking money out of his savings and securing a two bedroom house in Bath. One final phone call was made to one of his colleagues at the university there, and it was settled. Matt and Dom would be moving to Somerset the following Monday, just two days before Christmas.

“Will you be able to get a job?” Matt asked that evening as they began to pack Dom’s few belongings into boxes still left over from his original move to Teignmouth.

“For now I’ll be doing a lot of guest lecturing. They won’t be steady paychecks but they will get us by. I know the head of the department pretty well and she says there may be an opening as a permanent lecturer in September. I’ve also called someone I know at Cambridge, but the chances of a slot opening up there are pretty unlikely.”

“Even though you’re alumni?”

“Trust me,” said Dom. “There a lot more qualified alumni that would be asked to join the department before me, and that’s _if_ a spot opens up any time soon, which it won’t.”

Matt nodded. “That’s okay. I love Bath. It was my top choice,” he said sadly.

Dom hated to see the boy look so sad. He hated himself for making all this happen, for blatantly ruining Matthew’s chance of going to uni. If there was anything he could do so that the omega could go, he would do it. “We’ll find a way,” Dom said, kissing his mate tenderly.

“There’s no way,” said Matt, shaking his head. “Omegas aren’t allowed to go to uni, and that’s that. Plus, the baby will be here in August.

Dom just kissed him again. “We’ll find a way,” he promised.

~

Dom looked around the small, plain room he was standing in and then at his feet where two boxes, a guitar case, and a book bag were set. “Are these all your things?”

“Yeah, this is it,” said Matt, closing one of the boxes and sitting back on his heels.

“No posters on the wall or anything?”

“Nope. Dad never let me.”

Frowning, Dom held out his hand to pull his mate up and into his arms. He felt a bit weird doing it in the boy’s room and in front of his alpha brother, who was standing in the doorway, watching them closely with his arms crossed and a stern look set in his jaw.

“Paul,” he said, shaking the alpha’s hand firmly as he balanced the boxes in his other.

Paul nodded. “Take care of my little brother,” he said gruffly. “I still don’t like all this, but I know there’s no way around it.”

“I understand,” Dom responded. “And I really appreciate you keeping this away from your father.”

“That bastard probably won’t even notice I’m gone,” Matt mumbled from beside Dom.

At that, Paul pulled his little brother in for a tight hug. “I’m sorry, Matt,” he said. “I will always be there for you, okay?”

Matt nodded, giving Paul one last squeeze before taking Dom’s hand and lifting up his guitar case. As they exited the small, run-down Teignmouth house, they both hoped it would be the last time either of them would ever set eyes on it.

~

When they drove up to the house they were now calling a home, Dom anxiously looked over at his mate. Matt smiled, looking up at the house with curiosity.

“It’s beautiful,” he said softly.

Dom’s heart swelled at that, and he quickly pulled out his car keys and went around to help Matt from the car. “Welcome to your new home,” he said, kissing him firmly on the lips.

“ _Our_ new home,” Matt corrected with a grin.

“Right. Our new home.” Dom shook his head, smiling and letting out a hearty laugh. “God it feels good to say that. Let’s get unpacked.”

It had been quite the weekend - sorting last minute things out, securing the house, figuring out how to live together. Dom found that he loved Matthew more than sexually and romantically, but platonically as well. Bond or no bond, he felt at ease and comfortable with his mate, like they’d known each other for far longer than they did. He still had so much to fear, with a baby on the way and a complete turnaround in the direction he was going in his life, but he felt he could do it, especially with his family at his side.

****  
  



	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes sorry this took so long I am horrible please slap me.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Dom finally finished assembling the small dining table they had purchased earlier that day. He stepped back, putting his hands on his hips and looking at it with approval.

“Right, that’s the last of it,” he said, moving to sit down on the sofa where Matt was resting and stroking Hendrix, his hand absentmindedly draped over his stomach. “Only took me three and a half weeks to put all this together,” he chuckled, motioning to all the furnishings in their new home.

Matt hummed and smiled at him. “I could’ve helped,” he mentioned lightly.

Dom just shook his head and pressed his lips to his mate’s neck. “I managed, did I not?”

“Well, that photograph is crooked,” Matt replied with a sharp giggle, pointing to the wall behind the telly.

Frowning, Dom got up from the sofa and quickly fixed the crooked photograph. With a nod of approval from Matt, Dom returned to the sofa, pulling his omega in close.

“How was your lecture today?” Matt asked softly, settling into the alpha’s warmth.

“It went well. I missed you though. I don’t like leaving you in the mornings.” It was Dom’s first week at the new university, and the change from spending all the time with each other during the holiday to being away in the daytime was horrible. Dom hated being away from Matt. His entire work day was spent worrying about him, wondering if he was okay on his own, if he was adjusting well to their new life, if he was even happy with where he was. Dom tried not to let himself think about Matt being unhappy; it automatically made him feel down and unable to function. “How was your day?” he asked.

“Mmm, it was good,” said Matt. “Walked around the city center a lot. It really is beautiful.”

“Yeah,” Dom said thoughtfully. “Is there anything you want to do now that it’s the weekend?”

Matt just shook his head, and Dom smiled. That was all fine by him.

~

Many weeks passed by. Dom felt as if his life was a slowly turning wheel, repeating itself every day. It was a mish mash of lectures and an over-emotional omega with horrible morning sickness, which lasted the entire day. By 10 weeks, Matt already looked completely beat, and Dom worried excessively for his mate.

“Matt,” he said softly one morning, breathing into the omega’s neck and smelling him deeply. He could feel worry and anxiety. “I think I’m going to take some time off.”

Matt immediately froze in his arms, slowly turning to look at Dom. Dom hated that there were tears in his mate’s eyes. “You’re leaving me?”

“What?” asked Dom. “Oh, love, no.” He kissed Matt’s cheek gently. “I meant from work. I can tell that you’re stressed and not doing well and it’s taking its toll on me. I think it’s best if I take care of you a bit more. I’ve felt so guilty leaving you every day.”

Matt turned away from Dom and curled up into a small bundle. Dom let his fingers trail down the omega’s back, rubbing softly at his pale white skin.

“I want you to be happy,” he said quietly, pressing gentle kisses to Matt’s lower back which was constantly sore and aching due to his widening hips. “And I would feel like a much better mate and father if I could be here more. Our lives are just starting together. I love you so much already but there’s so much I still needs to know and learn. We have so much to do in the upcoming months.”

Matt nodded, seeming to calm down a bit after Dom made it clear he wasn’t leaving him, that the alpha’s intentions were logical and family-based. “We need to start getting the room together,” said Matt.

“Yeah,” said Dom. “More furniture to put together.”

Matt laughed at that, and Dom snuggled him close, breathing in his scent. He smelled magnificent, like no other omega in the world. Dom knew it was because there was no other omega like him in the world. He was special, the only person in the world who had his heart and his soul.

~

“Fuck,” came a shout from the bedroom.

Dom turned his head from where he was in the bath, craning to try and see what Matt was doing. “Love?” he called. “You okay?”

“I’m fine!” Matt said. “Just... Finish your bath.”

Dom frowned skeptically, but let himself relax again for a few more minutes before standing and wrapping a plush warm towel around his waist. After draining the tub and lotioning his hands and feet, he padded into the bedroom where Matt was sat on the edge of the bed, still in his pyjamas and one of Dom’s sweaters from his limited days as a footballer in school. “What’s up?” he asked, feeling the tension in the air. “We need to get going soon if we’re going to be at dinner on time.”

Matt’s head slowly turned to look up at Dom. A dejected frown was forming on his small lips. “Trousers won’t zip. I’m getting fat.”

After a long, hard stare, a hearty laugh was the first thing that escaped Dom. He shook his head, moving to sit on the bed next to Matt and kiss his bond mark. “Love, you’re three and a half months pregnant. Your trousers are bound to get small at one point.”

“They fit last week!” whined Matt. “And I look so gross and unnatural.”

Dom frowned at that. Truth be told, he had not seen Matt’s complete bare body since the boy’s heat, only little glimpses here and there, and definitely nothing around his abdomen or below. Matt’s hormones had been way out of whack those first few weeks, and since he came down with the plague of morning sickness, sex had been out of the question. Dom had been trying not to let himself dwell on it too much; pregnant omegas were supposed to be the horniest things on the planet. He had to constantly remind himself that Matt was only 17. There were bound to be some differences with him.

“Will you let me see?” Dom asked softly, craving to see his mate’s body with their child. Never before had he understood alphas who were so infatuated with their omegas during pregnancy, but now he wanted nothing more than to see Matt change as he carried their baby. He could feel Matt’s shyness and discomfort as the omega slowly reached down to lift Dom’s sweater up.

Really, it was the slightest swell, unnoticeable when Matt was clothed. But as Dom’s eyes traveled down his mate’s body, he drew in a sharp breath as the realization hit him once again that Matt was pregnant. These awarenesses happened more and more, with morning sickness, cravings, and the like, but finally seeing the way Matt’s hips were rotated to make way for the soft curve of his abdomen was astonishing. Dom was going to be a father. Even more, Dom was going to be a father with his 17 year old omega mate whom he still felt like a stranger to at times, even though their souls were connected by something extraordinary that pre-existed life itself.

“Fuck,” Dom gasped, alpha instincts taking over as his hands moved to caress Matt’s small bump. “Oh, fuck.” Matt looked at him with wide eyes. He looked so young, like a child, and Dom had to remind himself that that was because he was a child. “I- I did this.” Dom shook his head, his hands unable to leave the young omega’s body. His mind was spinning and burning and everything felt so hot and overwhelming. It was like the rut all over again, only different in ways that were unable to be explained. “Matt,” he whispered. “You look gorgeous.”

A blush spread over Matt’s cheeks, neck, and chest. After kissing his bond mark again, Dom reluctantly let his fingers leave Matt’s abdomen for a second in order to hold his mate’s hand and direct it back to where Dom’s had just been.

“I love you so much,” said Dom as he closed his eyes and breathed in steadily, completely ignoring the fact that they really did need to get up and go for their dinner plans. “Can I show you how much I love you? Please?” Matt whined, a low humming sound that Dom could only compare to a cat’s purr escaping his sharp lips. Dom tilted his head to suck at those lips, daring to dip his tongue in the omega’s mouth.

“Dom,” Matt moaned, shifting. “M’wet.”

Dom’s eyes widened against Matt’s pale neck as he tried to steady his breathing at his mate’s words. “What do you want me to do, love?”

“Fuck me, please fuck me,” Matt pleaded.

“Oh fuck yes.”

Dom moved forward suddenly, his hands reaching under Matt’s bum to lift him up. He could feel some of Matt’s slick through his pyjamas, not anything like the slick he created in his heat, but still absolutely tantalizing.

There was scrambling as Dom fumbled with his own trousers, freeing his hardening cock and giving it a few long strokes. He moaned around the heat of his fist, but knew he had to stop otherwise he would come before he was even inside his omega.

On the bed, Matt had removed his pajamas and laid back, Dom’s sweater moving up to show a delicious line of pale skin. Dom nearly threw himself on top of his mate; he felt absolutely primal in all of his actions, like this was what he was meant to do the second he was created. He felt put on the world so that he could be with this boy and love this boy and create a life with this boy.

As Dom popped open a tub of lube and started to prepare his lover, soft, singsong moans escaped Matt’s mouth, words urging him faster.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Dom said rushedly, even though he knew the amount of slick Matt was creating in his state was more than enough. Still, he took his time, stretching and fingering and touching far into his mate.

Kissing him softly on the lips, Dom withdrew his fingers and wiped them off, giving a few more tugs to his cock before lining up with Matt’s entrance. In one solid movement, they were interlocked, Dom’s hips finding the natural, soul-bound rhythm between them immediately.

Everything was electric. Without the sticky haze of heat and clouded mind of rut, Dom could feel every single part of Matt’s body and soul. The level they knew each other could not be explained, even in Dom’s own educated mind. Where Dom didn’t know Matt’s favorite color, he could feel his mind working. Where Dom didn’t know what Matt liked to watch on telly when it was two in the morning and thunder woke him up from sleep, he could sense his soul, pulsing, breathing, alive. And those things were enough for Dom. The casual knowledge would come in time, the way Matt liked his tea, which way he tied his shoelaces. They were all insignificant things, things that didn’t matter when their souls were attached by a string that was thicker than any natural material in the universe.

When Matt came between them, Dom wasn’t far behind. He rocked up into the omega’s body, cherishing every moment before orgasm hit and he collapsed over his mate, breathing heavily. He could feel everything: the rise and fall of his chest, the firm form of their baby, the soft twitches of his muscles.

“I am enamored by you,” Dom said softly into Matt’s neck, kissing his bond mark. “So bloody enamored.”

Matt shivered in his arms, his hand moving to touch his belly.

“We’re like a puzzle I can see on the box but can’t actually solve. I know exactly who you are and I can see what we’re made of, but piecing us together is beyond my mind. Our souls are beyond my mind.”

Again, Matt quivered. Dom gently bit at his skin, breathing in his pheromones. It was late, that he knew. Their dinner reservation was long forgotten, the setting sun streaming in through a crack in the curtains of their bedroom. Takeaway was in order, whatever Matt was craving at that moment. Tomorrow, they’d go to the shops for new clothes for Matt to accommodate his changing body, but for the time being, they were to rest. Just the two of them, and one day, three of them. That was all Dom wanted.

****  
  



	6. Chapter 6

At five months, it was impossible not to notice Matt and Dom’s impending parenthood, from Matt’s ever-swelling baby bump to Dom’s sudden influx of prideful alpha hormones, hormones he had no idea how to deal with. Just the thought of another alpha even approaching his mate and their child sent his blood boiling, and he would walk with his chest held out and his shoulders set wide, sending off pheromones to let anyone in the near area know that no one was to touch or even _think_ about touching Matt.

 

And the other curious thing that Dom was not used to: his constant arousal. It was the little things, like massaging Matt’s back when it became sore, rubbing lotion into the already deep stretch marks on his body, playing with Matt’s small yet sensitive nipples; everything about the pregnancy left Dom hard and aching, praying for that lithe body to encompass him completely.

 

“Do you think I have a pregnancy kink?” Dom asked one afternoon as he was doing a bit of research in bed whilst absent-mindedly running his hand across Matt’s abdomen. They’d spent nearly the entire morning making love, and Dom had been shocked by his ability to stay aroused the entire time, even with the strong alpha blood that was running through his veins and the beautiful work of art that was his omega’s body.

 

Matt laughed and hummed, turning over onto his side to look up at Dom as he was typing away on his laptop. “I think you’re just an alpha who's been suppressing natural instinct his entire life and is shocked by what it’s like to not suppress it.”

 

“Mmm,” Dom replied, pausing for a second to look at his mate. Matt’s hair was stuck up in a thousand different directions, the strands thick and heavy with sleep and sweat. His face and jaw—still skinny and beta-like—shifted as he played with his bottom lip, catching it with his tongue and teeth. “You need to stop doing that,” he said tentatively. “Otherwise I’m just going to want to fuck you all day and I’ll never finish this proposal.”

 

Matt let out a high-pitched, childish giggle, then burrowed back down into the blankets of their bed, cuddling himself into Dom’s side. One lanky leg was thrown over Dom’s calf so that the length of Matt’s body was pressed against his hip and his side, with Matt’s head resting perfectly in the swell of Dom’s underarm and chest. Of course, this made it unbelievably difficult to type, so Dom abandoned his proposal for the time being, choosing instead to wrap his arms around Matt and breathe in the omega’s sweet scent.

 

“I love you so bloody much,” he whispered into his neck. “God, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

 

“I love you too, Dom,” said Matt shyly. The omega was quiet for a few minutes, his chest moving up and down steadily as Dom let his hand trace over his body. “What do you think would’ve happened to me if you hadn’t taken me home?” he asked quietly.

 

Dom let out a deep sigh, unease stirring in his gut at the things that could have happened. “I don’t know,” he said honestly. “Something very bad.”

 

Matt shifted, grabbing Dom’s hand in his and squeezing before letting it drape over his belly. “Well this,” he said, moving Dom’s hand to a spot just below his navel. They waited for a few moments, then Dom’s heart leapt as he felt their child kick for the first time, barely even the slightest flutter that he almost couldn’t register if it weren’t for Matt’s smiling face. 

 

“This is something very good,” Dom finished.

 

~

 

“Over halfway there,” said Doctor Sherrill with a smile when they walked into the clinic the next day. “How are you feeling, Matt?”

 

Matt laughed. “Huge and constantly horny. But happy.”

 

Doctor Sherrill chuckled, then pat the table for Matt to sit on. Dom helped his mate up, supporting his back as he shifted to find a position that was comfortable with the growing weight in his middle. “I think today would be a good day to start discussing a birth plan. Usually this is something I would talk about in the first trimester, but Matt, since you’re so young, I wanted to give you the chance to really come to terms with the pregnancy, as well as the fact that you’re a bonded omega.”

 

A pale white sheet seemed to ghost over Matt’s features at the mention of birth, and Dom squeezed Matt’s hand supportively, sending off as many positive pheromones as he could to calm his mate. “It’ll be okay,” he whispered.

 

“I just want to do a pelvic examination today along with the ultrasound, to see if a natural birth is something that can be done. Of course, it’s all up to you,” said the doctor, nodding toward Matt. The omega was silent, but nodded stiffly anyway, not really giving an answer.

 

“Let’s do the examination,” Dom piped in. “Then we can discuss the different plans?” he asked, looking at Matt and rubbing his thumb over his suddenly very cold fingers.

 

Matt seemed to relax at this, and nodded, a bit of the colour coming back to his cheeks. Doctor Sherrill smiled at the both of them, then led them to the ultrasound room. Matt climbed up onto the table and lowered his trousers below the swell of his abdomen, shifting a bit to get comfortable. Anxiously, Dom watched the small screen, impatient to see their baby again. Each ultrasound he grew more and more anxious but also excited. It was fascinating to see each new little feature every few weeks, there always being something there that wasn’t there before. 

 

As Doctor Sherrill started to move the wand around, she laughed. “We’ve got an active little one, don’t we? Lots of kicking?” she asked Matt.

 

Matt nodded as he looked intently at the screen. “Dom felt a bit yesterday for the first time,” he said softly, his gaze never leaving the small black and white figure.

 

“That’s great!” the doctor replied, smiling at them both before returning her eyes to the screen. About twenty minutes past before she put the wand away and switched out her gloves, instructing Matt to remove his trousers completely. “This will just take a brief moment, shouldn’t be painful!” she said in a chipper tone. Still, Matt was nervous, and gripped Dom’s hand tightly as she performed the quick examination, humming thoughtfully to herself.

 

“What do you think?” asked Dom once she was done and had let Matt redress.

 

“It’s tough to say, really,” she said honestly. “While your hips have rotated nicely to accommodate for pregnancy, the pelvis hasn’t really widened as much as I’d like for a natural birth, probably because you presented so late and your omega reproductive system hasn’t had a chance to mature as much. It’s still possible, would just be quite a long labour and painful birth. It is up to you to decide,” she said, nodding to Matt first, then Dom.

 

Dom looked at Matt, giving him the say. It wasn’t Dom’s body, he wasn’t about to make that choice for his omega. Whatever Matt wanted, that was what Dom wanted, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

“I want to do a natural birth,” said Matt, nodding. “I mean, if our bond really is older than the universe, then I don’t want to bring this baby into the world any other way than biology has planned for me.”

 

Doctor Sherrill smiled. “That is a very mature decision. We will do everything we can to make this the most comfortable experience it can be. We have a great birthing centre here with some fantastic midwives, let me just get some leaflets.” She hurriedly left the room, leaving Matt and Dom in silence for a couple of minutes.

 

“I’m so proud of you,” said Dom, pressing a kiss to his mate’s temple. “I know this can’t be easy.”

 

Matt shook his head. “You’re wrong, Dom. This is the easiest, most natural thing I’ve ever done.”

 

Before Dom had a chance to react to that statement, Doctor Sherrill hustled back into the room with a number of leaflets in hand. “Here you are!” she said, handing a couple to Dom and a couple to Matt. “Take some time to look over these over the next week or so and we’ll get things settled when you’re back in for your next ultrasound, okay?”

 

“Thank you,” said Dom, shaking her hand quickly before pocketing the leaflets and turning to Matt.

 

“See you in a few weeks, gentlemen!” 

 

Doctor Sherrill waved goodbye and left the room. Dom couldn’t break his gaze from Matt; his mate’s eyes were wide and shining, his hand rubbing his belly constantly. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered before letting his hands caress the back of his head, his lips finding the omega’s immediately. “The universe did a good job this time, don’t you think?” he asked, his hand falling to grasp Matt’s wrist.

 

“Yeah, it sure did,” Matt replied with a shy grin.

 

“Let’s go home.”

 

“Okay.”

 

~

 

Birth centre leaflets, lotion, takeaway Chinese, and a jar of mustard were spread out on the coffee table, the leaflets, Chinese food, and mustard forgotten for the time being as Matt stretched out on the sofa, letting Dom rub lotion into his legs and hips.

 

“You sore, love?” Dom asked when Matt moaned and arched his back.

 

“Sore, horny, exhausted, hungry, all of the above,” Matt replied.

 

Dom threw his head back and laughed. “You just ate two servings of kung pao slathered in mustard. You can’t be hungry.”

 

Matt just shrugged at that, giving Dom a toothy grin and wiggling his toes, indicating he wanted to be massaged some more. Dom obliged, pulling his knobby knees forward to go over the curve of Dom’s thighs so he could reach Matt’s belly and back easier. He began a gentle rhythm, letting the deep red stretch marks take in the smooth lotion from his hands. He played at all the little knots beneath his skin, stopping every few moments to admire and cherish the way he could just barely feel the baby occasionally shift. 

 

Once Matt’s eyes began to droop shut, Dom lifted the omega’s legs up so he could clean up their takeaway boxes. Wrinkling his nose as he grabbed Matt’s, a strange mix of mustard and kung pao sauce coating the edges, he took the empty containers to the bin and disposed of them, leaning back and stretching when he was done. He looked around their small home, at his beautiful omega stretched out on the sofa with their child nestled safely inside him, at the cozy fire Dom had lit at the beginning of the night, at the small spot atop the telly that Hendrix had proudly declared _his_. Everything about it was so domestic, Dom almost forgot where they were five months ago, just a teacher and his student, innocently spending time together in a classroom in Teignmouth. 

 

Dom smiled as he moved back to the sofa, manoeuvring to spoon Matt from behind. Everything was going okay, thanks to the help of people like Doctor Sherrill and Matt’s brother. His mate was safe, their baby was safe, and Dom had a way of sustaining their family, even if he was taking a break for the time being to take care of them. He couldn’t have been more in love with these two people, one still growing and the other still forming.

 

A shrill ring broke him from his thoughts. Matt stirred from his sleep, mumbling about something Dom couldn’t understand. Shifting to get his arm over Matt’s head, he fumbled for his mobile, only managing to pick up on its last ring.

 

“Hello?” he said without checking the caller I.D. He absent-mindedly scratched at his hip then shifted his hand to touch Matt. “This is Dominic Howard.”

 

“Dom!” his mum’s voice shouted from the other line.

 

Dom sat up. “Mum? Is everything alright?” Matt looked at Dom, his eyebrows furrowing. 

 

“Daniel is in labour, how soon can you get to London from Teignmouth?”

 

Dom swore under his breath, lightly shaking Matt fully awake. “I’ll explain in a second,” he mouthed when Matt mumbled grumpily. Throwing a hand through his hair, Dom listened to his mum’s excited ramblings about finally being a gran for a few seconds before interrupting. “We can be there in two hours,” he told her.

 

“Wait, we? Dominic who are you wi-”

 

“Bye, Mum,” said Dom before hanging up and groaning into his hands. He turned to Matt. “Let’s get some clothes together, we have to go to London for a few days.”

 

“What? Why?”

 

“My brother is in labour, Mum wants me there.”

 

“Oh,” said Matt, shocked. “So we’re doing this now? Telling your family?” He looked at Dom nervously.

 

“Don’t worry love, they will adore you. It’s me they’ll probably skin alive.”

 

The two had decided to keep Matt and the baby a secret from Dom’s family for the time being, at least until Matt turned 18, though preferably longer. Dom’s little slip up meant it was happening sooner than planned. He’d hated lying to his mum so much, continuing to feed her lies about his work in Devon and his students and how living by the sea was treating him. Part of him felt that showing up to the birth of his first niece or nephew with his underage, pregnant omega in tow wasn’t a good idea, but he knew it was going to have to happen sooner or later. 

 

Dom quickly kissed Matt’s forehead before heading upstairs to pack a quick overnight bag for the two of them. He checked everything was okay before heading back down and getting food and water out for Hendrix for a couple of days. “You ready?” he asked Matt who was still sitting on the sofa, staring at the now powered off telly.

 

“Mmm,” Matt hummed, groaning as he stood up. Dom put a supportive hand behind his back and followed his mate out the door, locking it behind them. Already, Matt was having difficulty walking, the large weight of the baby throwing off his small, narrow frame. They slowly made their way to the car, and upon starting it, Dom let out a huge breath.

 

“Here goes nothing.”

 

 

 


End file.
